MadCap's Reel Thoughts - "The Hobbit" (1977)

Finally! Getting to something I've really looked forward to reviewing! The Hobbit!

...no, not the Peter Jackson one. That comes later. Much, much later.

From MadCap's Couch - "Doctor Who: Human Nature"

I'll go ahead and say it here, Human Nature and The Family of Blood is a good two-parter and likely one of the better pair of episodes from the Tennant era. It's certainly a hell of a lot better than Daleks in Manhattan and Evolution of the Daleks were. However, it's not perfect...and most of that has to do with the Arc of the Series.

Again, I know this seems like a bit of a stretch for a complaint, but just bear with me here.

MadCap's Reel Thoughts - "Conan the Destroyer" (1984)

I set myself up for this. Really, I did. I've got no one to blame but myself for it.

There was so much potential set up from the first movie. You had Arnold Schwarzenegger in one of his two defining roles as an actor (the other being the Terminator from...well, Terminator) and a dark-edged fantasy world that managed to be dark without getting into the gritty grimdark we would see later on. It was clearly very adult-oriented and wasn't afraid push the boundaries of what was acceptable in 1980's cinema, even if it seems absolutely quaint by the standards of Hollywood today.

...by the way, did anyone ever give that Thulsa Doom minion his jar of jam back?

MadCap's Game Reviews - "Pac-Man"

The year of the 40th anniversary of one of gaming's most prominent and well-remembered franchises (and one day after it's original Japanese release date)? A video game that is definitively remembered as a hallmark of 1980's culture? An incredibly addictive maze chase game that not only effectively created the genre, but has catchy music and attention-grabbing use of color in its designs?

A game that spawned one of the worst songs ever written?

Well, you knew I'd have to look at it, didn't you?

From MadCap's Couch - "Doctor Who: 42"

"I knew I should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque..."

Look, I know I was going on about it last week, but it's really not a particularly clever concept on the whole. Sure, the ship will crash into the nearby star in 42 minutes, but it 1) doesn't actually happen and B) is kind of arbitrary at any rate. Then again, I've written a series called Minos Mayhem where the protagonist has not at any point fought a minotaur or gotten stuck in a maze.

...although now I have an idea for the sequel.

Anyway, let's get into the matter at hand: 42.

MadCap's Mad Rantings - Canon and the Creator's Responsiblity

Yes, Sword and Sorcery 2020 will be resuming next Monday, but I found this to be more important. Sorry for the wait!

So, I'm sure you've all seen by now this article where Matt Martin, a Story Group Creative Executive at Lucasfilm, states:

“So to summarize: there is a reason that we need to internally know what is and isn’t canon so we can keep our line of official storytelling as aligned as possible but that doesn’t mean fans can’t individually pick and choose what they want to accept as true,” Martin wrote. “It’s all fake anyway so you can choose to accept whatever you want as part of the story.”

You can imagine why this is a bit of a problem from one of the people in charge of continuity over a major franchise. Particularly from one of the people in charge of continuity over a major franchise that has fallen into such a big mess since 2017 because the line of official storytelling very clearly was not aligned, but that's not what I'm here to talk about.

From the MadCap's Couch - "Doctor Who: The Lazarus Experiment"

"Lord Vader...the time has come. Execute Order 66!"

From beauty killed the beast to...just the beast.

I'm happy to go ahead and tell you that The Lazarus Experiment is actually a good episode, and not just because it comes after the massive cluster of problems I covered in Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks. It's a typical monster of the week story, but done very well with some good acting bits and genuine pathos.

No, the problems I have with it are its connection to the overall arc of Series 3, which I can mostly ignore and enjoy the story for what it is.

MadCap's Reel Thoughts - "Hawk the Slayer" (1980) and "The Sword and the Sorcerer" (1982)

So, I feel bad about missing last week's film review and - given that I have a theme month to keep up with - I've been advised by Epic Apathy (that handsome devil!) to go for a double bill as a means of penance - two films of the price of none!

Since I'm still doing this for free after almost ten years.

Pay me!

MadCap's Game Reviews - "Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition"

A review of a game on PC that not only is a throwback to a more idyllic time in video game history (at least for my generation), but one that also fits the theme of Sword and Sorcery 2020? Y'know, sometimes I surprise even myself.

But yes, it looks like were traipsing back into the world of Faerun, the Forgotten Realms of Dungeons & Dragons! We've been here before, of course, a few times. Boy, were they fun! Now, we return again and it's just like the last time in that it's good - not that it's the same thing repackaged again with slightly shinier graphics.

CC: @Bethesda Softworks

What If...the Empire of the Wolf Began in Tooth and Claw? (Part 5)

Last time, Jack and the Doctor had been betrayed by the Weeping Angels in their attempt to repair the collapsing reality. Rose was revealed to be a clone created by none other than the Master, who had become the Emperor of the Wolf. On Earth, werewolves and Cybermen began the ultimate battle as time was torn apart and put back together around them and both the Doctor's and the Master's TARDISes were materialized into one another.

With reality ripping apart at the seams once again, how will the Doctor and Jack get out of this one?!

Oh, also, the Daleks were about to show up. I did tease that.

From MadCap's Couch - "Doctor Who: Evolution of the Daleks"

"Will we be able to fend off Russell with these?"

This is just...concentrated pain.

This two-parter really is just the biggest pain in the biggest ass. Namely my own.

For the most part, this I can't even blame on Russell T. Davies. The Pig Men and the Human Dalek (which didn't have the decency to die offscreen between the previous episode and this one) are bad and were gotten to by stupid logic for stupid reasons, but well...I'd say the worst part is over, but that's not at all true.

Buckle up, people. It's about to get really, really dumb in here.